The new system is now being tested. Demma said the state had hoped to have it running last summer, but said it found that wasn't possible with the stretched resources of his office. He said he hopes it will now be available for use with year-end reports to be filed by candidates — after this year's elections are over.

"Everything that is available on a paper report will be available online. The (Web) page will look cleaner and work better," Demma said. He said it should also allow easier downloading into spreadsheets to allow better analysis — something that is difficult with the current system.

Demma said his office also looks at reports such as the one issued Wednesday to see what other states are doing, and learn from their best practices.

"Our goal is to make everything as easy for public to find as possible. We are always striving for improvement," he said.

The Campaign Disclosure Project is a collaboration of the California Voter Foundation, the Center for Governmental Studies, and the UCLA School of Law, and is supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Grades among states have been improving since the the project began issuing grades in 2003. The report said 36 states have improved their grades in that time.

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